School Consolidation and Good Leadership

Sensational headlines claiming that New Jersey plans to consolidate nearly 300 school districts, including Morris Plains, have understandably rattled our local community. After all, our award-winning K to 8 district, and an outstanding, diverse, regional high school, are key reasons we moved to Morris Plains with our families.

This is an excellent opportunity to assess how we would respond to this news as your elected officials. I can tell you how we will NOT respond – with finger-pointing, fear-mongering, and overstepping our role as Council members.

First, let’s be clear that, for decades, school consolidation has been discussed as a way to bring tax relief to New Jersey residents. In 2009, an ad hoc committee of the Morris Plains Board of Education conducted a cost/benefit analysis of merging into the Morris School District (see a summary of the outcome here). The study could not identify significant cost savings for Morris Plains, and the impact on our student performance outcomes was unclear. Our Board of Education concluded that additional funds from the state would be required to adequately assess the impact of such a merger before our district could consider it.

And that is exactly what Governor Murphy has just approved – funds for this study, and a pilot of two districts (neither one is in Morris Plains). At this time, there is no mandate. If you read past the scary headline, you will see that Morris Plains, and other towns with K-8 districts like ours, will benefit from a complete and conclusive study. The state has an opportunity to either confirm or disprove the long-held theory that consolidation will bring tax relief, efficiencies and improvements for all NJ students. We welcome this analysis.

Second, we trust our elected Board of Education members to evaluate available data and decide the best path forward for our children’s education. That is not the role of the Borough Council, although the two entities have a strong and supportive rapport.

Third, strong local leadership requires a measured response to news. It requires a respect and understanding of past issues and remedies, as well as an eagerness to seek best practices. There is no room for obstructionism or us against them. We must work together with fellow Council members, town committees, and county and state officials to seek new and better solutions for improving taxes, traffic and safety issues, our environment, jobs and education.

Vote for Councilwoman Joan Goddard and Nancy Verga on November 5th if you want leadership based on facts, integrity, collaboration and the best interests of Morris Plains residents. Learn more at www.mpdems.org/goddard-verga.